Why isn't ethics a behavioural science?

Organized by
Econometica (Centro interuniversitario per l’etica economica e la responsabilità sociale d’impresa)
LaSER (Laboratory for Social Responsibility, Ethics and Rational Choice)
University of Trento, Department of Economics
Pergina Valsugana, Trento, Italy, 25-28 September 2008

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As in every summer, the Laboratory for Social Responsibility, Ethics and Rational Choice of the Department of Economics at the University of Trento, and Econometica (Inter-University Centre for Economic Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility) organize a summer school on game theory, social norms and institutions.

This year's summer school will continue on this tradition. The idea behind the school is that our understanding of the role of social preferences in shaping social norms and institutions will be enhanced if we manage to integrate three sides of the current research. First, the theory of bounded rationality and learning in games. Second, the more sophisticated approach to people’s preferences pioneered by behavioural economists, which incorporates altruism and spitefulness, a taste for reciprocity, feelings of guilt and shame and other moral emotions.
Finally, the experimental research on the way in which flesh-and-bone individuals make their decisions in strategic situations.

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Aims and topics

Aims
Recent developments in behavioural economics have created the reasonable expectation that ethics and welfare economics might one day become part of a unified science of human behaviour encompassing economics, sociology and other social sciences. Three sides of the current research are likely to play a fundamental role in this process of integration. First, the theory of bounded rationality and learning in games, which has been widely studied in the last two decades. Second, the more sophisticated approach to people’s preferences pioneered by behavioural economists, which incorporates altruism and spitefulness, a taste for reciprocity, feelings of guilt and shame and other specifically moral emotions. Finally, the empirical research on the way in which flesh-and-bone individuals take ethically relevant decisions.

The organization of the summer school reflects this conviction. The first part will be devoted the economic and philosophical approach to the evolution of justice and social contract. In the second part the main behavioural models will be introduced. In the third part of the school the experimental evidence will be presented. Implications of the current research for ethics and welfare economics will be addressed in the last day of the school.

Main topics

The evolution of justice and the social contract: a philosophical and economic perspective (K. Binmore)
Considerations on the methodological foundations of behavioural economics and game theory (K. Binmore, E. Angner)
An overview of psychological game theory (M. Dufwenberg)
The behavioral and experimental approach to reciprocity, communication and promises (M. Dufwenberg)
Theory and experiments on bargaining, impartiality and fairness (T. Ellingsen)
Methodological, theoretical and experimental approach on social interaction and social capital (S. Hargreaves Heap)
The social value of groups (S. Hargreaves Heap)
Norm compliance, conformity and sense of justice: theory and experiments (L. Sacconi, S. Ottone and M. Faillo)
Learning to be fair (Luciano Andreozzi)

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Organizers
Prof. Lorenzo Sacconi – Director (EconomEtica - University of Trento)
Dr. Luciano Andreozzi (University of Trento)
Dr. Marco Faillo (University of Trento)

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